Are you happy with your relationship? Do you feel that you have a mutually respectful arrangement with your significant other that provides a healthy balance of give-and-take from you both? Do you and that special someone equally share the work and worry that all relationships entail? Are you getting what you want and need from the time, love and effort that you put into your relationship?

If you consider your relationship a personal investment, would you say that you’re happy with the return that you’re presently receiving on that investment?

In business and investment terminology, there’s a three-word phrase that creates the thought and fuels the motivation behind most all financial decisions: Return on Investment (ROI) and, in its most simplistic sense, it’s defined as the benefit, reward or profit derived from having invested money and/or time in pursuing or acquiring something.

For example, if you’re going to put your hard-earned money into a financial investment, you want to be reasonably sure that you’ll receive some kind of return or benefit from that expenditure. Otherwise, it’s simply not a risk that’s worth taking.

Similarly, the same can be said about the relationships we invest in. Of course, there’s an incredible difference between making a financial investment versus making a relationship investment. You can mathematically calculate a financial ROI, whereas the return on a relationship investment doesn’t lend itself to the same kind of hard and fast objective measurement or analysis. While many of you may or may not have had experience in making financial investments, we all have been on the short end of a relationship investment that didn’t pay off.

Today, take a look at your relationship portfolio and see how it’s measuring up as an investment. After all, just like in the financial world, getting involved in a relationship is really a gamble. There are no guarantees and it involves making assessments and choices that you hope will reap you great profits in your personal life.

Healthy, satisfying and loving relationships are based on the unspoken acceptance and acknowledgement that it should be a two-way street arrangement. When only one party does all the giving and sacrificing, you don’t profit much from your investment of time, energy and emotion.

A lopsided relationship will quickly drain your emotional resources. Just like in the financial investment world, you don’t want your relationship to simply break even or, worse yet, operate at a loss. You want it to grow, generate great dividends and deliver to you a great personal and emotional profit.

Using the scale below, rate your relationship in the following five key areas of concern:

A Close Friendship: The key to happiness and longevity with your relationship is intimately tied to having a strong bond of honest friendship between you and your significant other. Those that have achieved this in their relationship often think of their significant other as their best friend.

Physical & Emotional Intimacy: There are few things that contribute more to your emotional bank account than feeling both physically and emotionally close to your partner. Distance in either of these two areas can lead to emotional bankruptcy for your relationship.

Verbal & Nonverbal Communication: If you want to significantly increase the odds of having a great return on your relationship investment, let your partner know that you love him in both verbal and nonverbal ways. Verbally, there’s no sweeter sound than hearing your partner say those three powerful words... I love you. Nonverbally, a loving hug, tender touch or the simple act of holding your lover's hand speaks volumes about how you feel about him and adds real value to your investment.

Reliability:We all need someone we know we can turn to in difficult times. Being able to count on your partner adds significant value and depth to your relationship. Knowing that you can rely on your significant other enhances your investment by strengthening the bond that connects the two of you.

Commitment: Your relationship investment grows considerably more valuable if you’re truly committed to each other and the relationship. Commitment provides you with a deep sense of personal security in a similar way that health insurance gives you peace of mind.

If you were keeping score, your scores will vary between a high of 15 points (answered Profiting in all five areas) to a possible low of 5 points (answered Losing in all five areas). I’m guessing that most people will score somewhere between these two extremes.

However, the score isn’t the important part here; it’s simply a subjective indicator. The important lesson is to identify which direction your current relationship is going and whether or not you’re profiting and getting a satisfactory return on your relationship investment.